The Accused by Jana DeLeon

3 STARS

I kept debating on how to rank this book. I finally decided 3 stars which might be unfair. I was left with two many questions that guilty party did not seem to fit. Now it is the start to a trilogy so maybe the answers will fit better when all three books are together. I guess I will have to see.

I really like Jana's mudbug series of books so I will want to read the next two books and see if they all fit together better.
Alaina has not been to her family home since she was seven and her mother died. Her stepfather sent her to one relative and her sisters to different relatives. She lost her mom and sisters at one time plus her home.
Alaina got passed over to make partner in her law firm because she won a case. The defendant then went out and murdered a little girl. (I thought defense attorneys were supposed to win) So she quit. That is when she got the letter from a lawyer stating that her stepfather had died and for her to receive the family money and home each of her sisters had to live in the house for two weeks.

Her stepfather never really left the mansion. Their is a care taker who is really old and can't climb the stairs. The estate is not in good condition.

Alaina plans to decide if she wants to continue being a lawyer or what does she want to do now. She wants to see her sisters.

Carter is the Sheriff and he is asked to check on Alaina each day for the two weeks. If she takes off even for one day the count as to start over. Carter thinks he sees someone in one of the upper floors but their is no evidence of anybody. He does not feel right about things at the mansion.

Someone is playing with Alaina and it is getting dangerous for her to stay alone in the house. So Carter plans to stay with her to protect her.
There is plenty of mystery surrounding Alaina and her family home. Lots of enemies who might want her harmed. There is a couple of love scenes that I skimmed over. I would say that this book is not meant to be read by itself but part of a series. There is a ghost.

I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review of it in return by Netgalley.
publication: July 23rd 2013 by Harlequin Intrigue 288 pages ISBN:0373747624

Description below taken off of Netgalley

USA TODAY bestselling author Jana DeLeon has a new trilogy-Mystere Parish: Family Inheritance
After working as a cop in New Orleans, Carter Trahan is back in Mystere Parish, where his latest assignment seems like a joke: making sure Alaina LeBeau lives in her childhood home for two weeks to comply with her mother's will. But soon the sexy sheriff isn't laughing. Someone-or something-is stalking the beautiful defense lawyer, turning her once-grand mansion into a house of horrors.

But as he searches for the truth, Carter must face ghosts of his own past lurking in the bayou. Most troubling of all is his unprofessional attraction to the woman he's protecting, as Alaina's allure haunts him as no specter ever could....